Learning to walk again
by LittleRoma
Summary: Hermione and indeed the other people who were petrified never received any help. This is my idea of some of the physical difficulties at least. Set during the summer after second year (CoS) and purely from Hermione and her parents views.


_**I don't own Harry Potter or any other recognisable content. Sorry for readers of HLS but lately I've been plagued with pains and more recently a very bad cold and writers block for HLS. Anyway, this just came to my mind, so I thought why not write it? Anyway I hope you enjoy it and review, I always read them (on all of my stories) looking for future ideas!**_

_**Roma**_

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When Hermione awoke from almost two months after a magically induced coma, well how else was she to think and rationalize the time spent unconscious? The last thing that she could remember was finding the Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater and warning her to use a hand mirror to check round corners first. A few corridors after getting out of the library, Hermione scooped the page that she had stolen from the library containing the information of a Basilisk and the single solitary word 'pipes' scrawled hurriedly across the pages. Hermione squeezed it in her hands hoping to herself that whatever happened someone would notice it and they would realize what they were dealing with. With a shudder Hermione could vaguely remember seeing a large black eye appearing in the mirror. Only been vaguely aware of the encroaching darkness, Hermione's vision went black.

The next thing Hermione knew, she was waking up several months later in a sterile, white environment. Glancing round her, she began to mutter about warning someone of the danger that the school was in. Hermione's vision focused and she saw the smiling figure of Madam Pompfrey above her. She could remember being told to stay in bed for a few more hours so that the school matron could keep an eye on her. She remembered looking round the other beds and noticing some other muggleborn and one unlucky halfblood students beginning to show signs of wakening up and looking round rather dazedly. An expression Hermione was sure was reflected on her face.

After a while, when Hermione was allowed to make her great escape from the large hospital wing. Hermione could remember feeling a little weak at the knees, but she managed to make her way out to the Great Hall where everyone was feasting. Hermione had a rather bizarre memory of her knees beginning to feel a little stronger. She ran up to Harry and Ron, hugging them, congratulating them on everything working out.

On the train on the way home, Hermione sat down the whole trip, because she thought that she felt a bit weaker again. Not sure as to why this was, Hermione pulled out a rather battered copy of '_The Hobbit_' to distract herself with. Wondering why she felt this way, Hermione turned away from the book, for once not finding any distraction among the printed word. Turned Hermione used what she sometimes heard adults jokingly refer to as the best philosophical school in the country, nay the world - the train window.

Eventually getting off the train, she greeted her parents excitedly, feeling that maybe all the pain of the previous year had been worth it. Hermione would count any day where she could see her parents again, as a very happy day. Unfortunately on the way out the car, she collapsed, completely unable to walk once again. Thankfully Hermione's father enjoyed playing rugby in his spare time, so it wasn't difficult for him to scoop up his daughter in his arms.

Feeling that this episode of fainting had something to do with being in Hogwarts, Micheál looked at his wife Jean and nodded. When they got to the car, Jean decided to sit in the back with her daughter to see if she could understand what was happening. Jean offered her daughter some support as they listened to a great two hour tale. Whereby Hermione explained just what was going on at Hogwarts. Learning that Hermione had made friends was brilliant, learning that one of them could be nasty towards Hermione at times, less so. When they learned that Hermione faced some discrimination in the magical world because of her parentage they exchanged an uneasy look.

The reason for this look was because while attending university Jean had joined the university debating team. It was here that Jean, while being a very talented and logical thinker, so under better circumstances she could have flourished, was subjected to a torrent of misogynistic abuse. Jean had not been able to keep up the debating for very long, a shame because it was really one of her hobbies. Playing rugby at university Micheál had thankfully escaped any abuse, but meeting his then-girlfriend Jean in their final year.

During their growing romance Micheál had learnt of the abuse, had become enraged on his steady girlfriend's behalf but on her bequest he didn't do anything. Years later when they married, and found out that they were expecting a little girl, they didn't want this girl to know what inequality felt like. They felt that they had succeeded, up to a point, Hermione did not have any friends up until the age of eleven. It was because Hermione read so much, that she made the other children her age begin to feel uncomfortable.

That Hermione should feel any discrimination and because of them, because of the fact that a paper bag would contain more magic than her parents put together, was a troubling concept. Once they got home, and Hermione was safely laid out on the sofa cushions, Micheál and Jean talked. They knew that it would be a large blow to Hermione to take her out of Hogwarts altogether. She finally had some friends there, and to be frank they were concerned that Hermione would possibly be in even more danger outside of a magical school. But they were rather concerned with the dangers that Hermione could face.

Finally deciding to face more pressing concerns, Jean and Micheál both decided that Hermione may have need of some physiotherapy sessions to strengthen her legs up. Thinking about it they decided to ring their longterm and good friend Fíona to help Hermione. Fíona had been living with the Grangers three years ago when they had that bizarre meeting and found out that Hermione was a witch. Fíona was a fully licensed private physiotherapist who lived just across town. Fíona had been going through some matrimonial problems at the time and was always willing to help the Grangers should they need assistance.

Over the summer Fíona helped Hermione learn how to walk again, giving her gentle exercises to rebuild her muscle tone. Even though it was potentially rather painful having to learn how to walk again, Hermione was pleased to do it. Hermione was using a small crutch to aid her in her walking, was able to stop using it in just under a month and a half. At the same time Micheál and Jean became worried that Hermione was having more nightmares. While considering that they couldn't take Hermione to a psychiatrist, that was too risky in case Hermione accidentally let spill her little secret.

After much cajoling they finally got Hermione to write a diary of her feelings. They told Hermione that it would feel rather cathartic to get it all out of her system. Hermione was to eventually swallow her pride and admit to her parents that it did help. That summer Hermione began to run as a way to let her frustrations out, she would never feel completely helpless again.


End file.
